Bipolar Medication On Bipolar Pregnant Women.
Because of the harm of prescribed drugs to the fetus in the womb many doctors are at a dilemma on women who are pregnant and have bipolar disorder symptoms. There are risks involved of mood returning in the mother if she does not want to take her drugs. It is quite difficult for doctors to choose between the mother relapsing and the baby having birth defects if the mother continues with her medications.
Most Recent Studies
It has been published in the 2007 December American Journal of Psychiatry, that it is possible for bipolar returning due to short interval in pharmacotherapy. It has been warned by the study that pregnant women with the illness who stop taking their drugs may suffer severely when the bipolar symptoms return.
A recent study of 89 women with bipolar was done at Emory University and Harvard Medical School. Of those studied nearly two thirds of those who took part stopped their drug medications for bipolar disorder during those 26 weeks period and 12 weeks after conception. The difference on women who did not stop their medications after they have conceived, when compared with women who stopped taking their medications 3 months after conception is great.
When Women Discontinue
Women who stopped their prescribed drugs doubled their chance of their bipolar coming back of at least one to two episodes of the illness. Of women who stopped their medicated drugs, these women spent nearly 40% of their pregnant time with the bipolar symptoms compared to less than 10%who continued with their bipolar drugs and were able to do their work normally.
Fetus and Pregnancy
By the time a woman know they are pregnant, the most serious period of risk for the baby fetus has gone,” this according to Freeman. To stop prescribed drugs at this time even for a short time can pose very high risk rather than as a protection for the baby in the womb.
Untreated Bipolar -Risks
Pregnant women with bipolar symptoms can go into prenatal care risks, with nutrition problem for both her and the fetus, if bipolar are not treated. Relapses often has occurred with episodes which can be both dangerous for the baby and mother. When not treated, alcohol consumption and tobacco use increases, mother and child attachment is disrupted, and great stress to the family. Behavioral and emotional difficulty risks has been seen with children with depressed mothers.
Mood stabilizers and it’s Risks
Most mood stabilizers pose high risks for birth deficiency. According to Food and Drug Administration classification, divalproex and lithium fall in the category D drugs for pregnancy which can cause both abnormalities and cardiovascular problems in the baby.
Finally
Even during pregnancy, like some other mental illnesses with serious difficulties, bipolar disorder patients will require taking their drug medications. Pregnant during their reproduction years, women with bipolar do go into very high risks. This article have given some light into why you should continue with bipolar medications when pregnant – it is a better risk to take.
